Stoke City centre-back Bosun Lawal is not expected to make his competitive debut for the Republic of Ireland in their UEFA Nations League meeting with Austria on Thursday night.
The Nigeria-eligible centre-back has linked up with the Republic of Ireland squad after recovering from a hamstring strain but he's still being carefully managed as he completes his recovery.
Although Lawal is back training with the group, the 23-year-old is not yet ready to feature, making it unlikely that he will make an appearance against Austria tonight.
Born in Dublin, Lawal has one cap for Ireland at senior level but has yet to make the competitive debut for the Boys in Green that would cap-tie him to his country of birth under Fifa's eligibility rules.
Speaking about Lawal's return to the squad, Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson confirmed that the versatile defender is continuing his recovery under the supervision of the national team and Stoke City.
In quotes relayed by the official website of the Football Association of Ireland, Hallgrímsson said: "It’s nice to have Bosun Lawal in the squad; he is back with us now. He isn’t ready to play yet, but we are managing his recovery with Stoke City.
"Jonathan Walters has been fantastic in allowing him to come and understanding that we need him in preparation for these games, especially as we face Austria again next month."
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